When a major event happens, it’s not just the journalists that are covering it. Our social media feeds become clogged with everyone sharing updates as they come or offering their own take on the events.
Immigration law and global mobility-related breaking news is no different. When news broke that the USCIS furlough was canceled in 2020 or when the US finally reopened borders in 2021, EVERYONE in immigration posted about it on LinkedIn, and for good reason. The Pew Research Center found that 53% of Americans got their news from social media in 2020. With everyone weighing in, how can you make sure that your post will stand out on LinkedIn and catch people’s attention?
4 strategies to Stand Out on LinkedIn
First, there are two main content strategies when it comes to breaking news on social media. If you’re positioning yourself as an immigration law or a global mobility thought leader, do you stand out on LinkedIn by being the first to break the news, or do you stand out on LinkedIn by using your reach?
Be the first to report the news, if you can
If you chose the first option that means that you tend to be ‘first on the scene’ when it comes to breaking news. You’re able to share content about new events and relevant legal topics quickly and in an attention-grabbing way. A good way to tell if you’re a first reporter is to check your engagement and the timing of other people’s posts. If you’re the first person to break news to your followers, it increases the chance that your post will do “well” which means lots of comments, likes, shares, and views.
However, you don’t have to be first to still make an impact and stand out on LinkedIn. If you have an attentive audience
Use your existing LinkedIn reach
If you have “reach,” which means that LinkedIn actually pushes your content out to your followers (here are some ways to create engaging LinkedIn content) even if your post isn’t first of its kind, your content has a much better chance of doing well since more people will see it.
And regardless of the number of followers you have, if you have an active comments section on your post by encouraging comments and actually replying to comments, you can improve your LinkedIn reach and ensure your breaking news post gets the attention it deserves.
Share your thoughts on the breaking immigration news
Another great way to have your content stand out among the crowd is to put your own twist on the news by sharing your own personal thoughts or reactions, especially in a way that might be relevant to your target audience.
For example, if you focus on P-1 visas, don’t just post about the furlough as a generic news update. Post about the furlough in a way that’s relevant to the athletes, leagues, and others in your niche. Don’t be afraid of using industry terms or niche topics that make your post specific to your clients. This tells your followers that you are creating content that caters directly to their needs.
Comment on other peoples’ posts
If you don’t have a ‘take’ or simply don’t want to worry about posting something everyone else is posting about, there’s another way to improve your LinkedIn engagement: commenting on your followers and other thought leaders’ posts. And that’s commenting on others’ posts about the topic.
Commenting on other people’s posts is a really powerful way to build connections and show your subject matter expertise without having to come up with your own post. Commenting takes less time and merely requires that you react to someone else that come up with your own thoughts or spin on a topic. Plus, if not able to post because you’re busy, but you still want to stay relevant, 10 minutes a your day of perusing LinkedIn and posting on other peoples’ content will still enhance your professional network and your LinkedIn engagement. Check out my post on the most effective and thoughtful ways to comment on people’s posts.
